Cybersecurity Threat Landscape Report for 2026

Quick Answer: Emerging and maturing cyber attacks will create a more challenging threat landscape in 2026. Trends of note include generative AI, quantum computing, ransomware-as-a-service, and supply chain security. 

The cybersecurity landscape in 2025 was a hot one, and 2026 will continue to add fuel to the fire. Gone are the days when hackers or malware authors worked alone to cause mischief; cybercrime is now big business, supported by underground markets and organized crime groups.

Understanding the threat landscape is no longer optional; it is essential. Organizations that fail to adapt and prepare face financial losses and reputational damage. To safeguard systems, data, and critical infrastructure, we must understand what's happening and what's coming.

To help you prepare, we'll explore the emerging cybersecurity threat landscape for 2026, including the risks that will dominate, the trends driving them, the industries most at risk, and how you can prepare. A new year is right around the corner, for better or for worse, so let's explore how to tip the odds more in our favor.

What are the Emerging Cybersecurity Threats in 2026?

Cyberattacks are becoming smarter, lightning fast, and more damaging than ever. We anticipate a number of key threats to dominate in the coming year. Here's what you'll want to stay on top of. 

Generative AI

The most concerning developments are hands down around AI. Generative AI systems have rapidly transitioned from obscurity to mainstream adoption among consumers. Unfortunately, they are just as easy for attackers to use in their craft as anyone else. 

Highly convincing phishing emails, deepfake videos, and the automation of searching for vulnerabilities across the internet have made work that previously took many hours easy to accomplish in seconds.

Quantum Computing

Another emerging trend is quantum computing. This emerging tech promises to make massively complex research and problem-solving more accessible than ever. The problem is that this power will also be able to break encryption that was previously considered virtually unbreakable. The immense potential of quantum computing could render current encryption standards obsolete. New standards are being developed, but they will take time to be widely adopted.

Ransomware-As-A-Service

Next, Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) continues its reign of terror. No longer a powerful tool leveraged by a few groups, it has become a plentiful business model, offering access to bespoke ransomware attacks that can be purchased on the dark web. The barrier to entry is low, making access to devastating attacks accessible by these democratized means.

Supply Chain Security

Supply chain security remains a high-level concern. The SolarWinds breach from 2020 continues to cast ripples still felt today, and there will likely be no shortage of exploitation attempts coming from trusted software installed in organizations worldwide.

What Trends are Driving the 2026 Threat Landscape?

We've already hinted at what trends are driving these evolving and emerging threats. The most recent trend is that barriers to entry for cybercrime are dropping dramatically; inexperienced threat actors can launch severe cyberattacks with the help of AI and RaaS in ways that were previously unheard of just a few years ago. 

Other easily accessible tools include low-cost phishing kits and prepackaged malware, which are often the initial points of entry into an organization's networks. As a business, cryptocurrencies have made anomalous transactions and money laundering easier than ever, bypassing traditional financial infrastructures.

On the other side of the spectrum, geopolitical tensions and nation-state actors have created a very prevalent cyber warfront. State-sponsored groups are targeting not only other governments, but also the businesses, universities, and critical infrastructures of adversary countries. These are not the off-the-shelf solutions driving cybercrime, but very sophisticated, targeted attacks seeking to disrupt supply chains, undermine public trust, and steal intellectual property.

Which Industries are Most at Risk?

Make no mistake: every industry must be on the defensive against cyber threats. With the majority of the world's business online, the attack surface is huge for everyone. Certain sectors, though, will be under greater pressure. While this list is somewhat evergreen, these industries bear the brunt of the ever-increasing threat landscape.

Government

Dovetailing with the previous discussion of nation-state actors, government and national defense are at the top of the list. These organizations aren't just major players on the world's stage; they are the world's stage and have the biggest targets painted on their backs regarding focused efforts by the most dangerous attackers.

Infrastructure

Energy and utilities represent another great threat. How much of life comes to a stop when your power goes out? Multiply that now by entire states or regions of the country suffering long-term outages because of attacks against infrastructure.

Finance

Online banking, mobile payments, and cryptocurrencies are all mainstream, with massive implications. A less obvious but emerging segment is decentralized finance (DeFi). These systems are built on blockchain and cryptocurrency to facilitate trading, lending, and investing money outside of regulated systems. Vulnerabilities or other flaws in these systems make them high-risk targets for attack, fraud, and theft.

Shopping

Similarly, retail and e-commerce are attractive targets for criminals looking to access credit card data and personal information. The increasing reliance on third-party marketplaces and payment systems means that an attack's blast radius can affect not just one company but also the hundreds or thousands of retailers utilizing a single third-party system.

Healthcare

Finally, healthcare remains a prime target. With electronic medical records becoming the norm, vast amounts of personal data are stored across numerous healthcare systems. Additionally, downtime poses a literal threat to patients' lives. Attackers know that these organizations are more likely to pay ransoms to restore operations quickly, so targeted attacks are becoming increasingly common.

Defensive Strategies for Mitigating Risks

To combat this growing threat landscape, all organizations must adopt a layered and proactive security approach. This is not a new strategy, but one that must become the norm.

The human is usually the weakest link in the chain, so employee training and awareness remain an essential defense. Without understanding the benefits of 2FA or how to recognize a potential phishing attack, any user in your organization is a possible entry point for an attacker.

When it comes to your tech stack, endpoint security solutions like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) have become invaluable tools. These detect abnormal behavior on your servers and users' machines, and can stop malicious activity before it has a chance to spread.

Likewise, zero-trust architecture is another emerging and critical technical solution. This approach steps up authentication and authorization by assuming that no device or user can be trusted by default, requiring continuous verification and strict access controls. In 2026, we can expect to see an uptick in the adoption of zero trust as an essential layer of security defense.

Build Your Defenses for 2026 and Beyond

This cybersecurity threat landscape for the coming year will be defined by complexity, scale, and speed. Today's cybercriminals have access to tools that are more powerful, cheaper, and more accessible than ever before. Nation-state actors are targeting governments, private businesses, and infrastructure with attacks of unprecedented sophistication.

Our defenses must evolve accordingly. Cybersecurity is never about eliminating risk entirely; this is an impossibility in the rapidly evolving threat landscape. The name of the game must continue to be resilience, which enables us to withstand attacks and reduce risk. This can only happen with a constantly maturing awareness of the growing threat landscape, both in 2026 and for all cyber challenges in the years to come.

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